Gun rights activists rally at Massachusetts Statehouse

BOSTON — Hun­dreds of gun rights advo­cates have ral­lied out­side the Mass­a­chu­setts State­house to protest Demo­c­ra­t­ic Attor­ney Gen­er­al Mau­ra Healey’s crack­down on the sale and man­u­fac­ture of what she’s called copy­cat assault weapons.

Activists attend­ing the Sat­ur­day ral­ly said Healey is tak­ing rogue actions that will turn thou­sands of gun own­ers into “future felons.”

Some waived “Don’t Tread on Me” flags. One held a poster depict­ing Healey with a Hitler mous­tache and the words “Heil Healey.”

Healey on Wednes­day sent an enforce­ment notice to gun sell­ers and man­u­fac­tur­ers clar­i­fy­ing what con­sti­tutes a “copy” or “dupli­cate” weapon under the state’s assault weapons ban, includ­ing copies of the Colt AR-15 and the Kalash­nikov AK-47.

Healey said the rule won’t be enforced against gun own­ers who bought weapons pri­or to the notice being sent out.